Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, dies at 85

"For the people of Pakistan, he was a national icon," Prime Minister Imran Khan said.

Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan is surrounded by policeman and lawyers (FILE PHOTO: Reuters)

KARACHI: Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist who acknowledged being part of a nuclear proliferation ring, died on Sunday. He was 85.

Khan was admitted to Khan Research Laboratories Hospital on August 26 after testing positive for COVID-19 and was later moved to a military hospital in Rawalpindi, said the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.

"He was loved by our nation because of his critical contribution in making us a nuclear weapon state," Pakistan`s Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Twitter. 

"For the people of Pakistan, he was a national icon," he added.

Prime Minister Khan informed the scientist would be buried at Islamabad`s Faisal mosque, according to his wishes.

He will be buried in Faisal Mosque as per his wishes. My condolences & prayers go to his family. — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 10, 2021

Nation mourns the colossal loss of Mohsin-e-Pakistan Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan's demise. He is truly a national hero for making invincible. Indeed everyone is mortal but only a few leave an immortal legacy behind them. We are forever indebted for the legacy he has left.

Long live! pic.twitter.com/TC7HrOyjAf — Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) October 10, 2021

AQ Khan was at the centre of a global nuclear proliferation scandal in 2004 that involved sales of nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya. After a confession on national television, Khan was pardoned by then-president Pervez Musharraf but he remained under house arrest for years in his palatial Islamabad home.

In his confession, Khan said he acted alone without the knowledge of the state officials. However, he later said he had been scapegoated.

"He helped us develop nation-saving nuclear deterrence, and a grateful nation will never forget his services in this regard," Pakistani President Arif Alvi said in a tweet.